County chief says waste collection will improve in next week or so

* Graham Boase, chief executive of Denbighshire County Council.

Denbighshire County Council underestimated the resources needed in the early stages of rolling out its controversial new waste recycling system.

That is the admission from the authority’s chief executive Graham Boase in an email to llanblogger.

But he predicts that the number of missed collections will “significantly reduce” over the next week or so.

The new system – based on stackable Trolibocs rather than the old-style wheelie bins – was brought in for 43,000 properties across the county on June 3.

But it has led to a huge number of complaints from people – many from Llangollen - whose weekly collections have been missed.

Llanblogger’s Phil Robinson, who recently reported the issue to the public services Ombudsman for Wales, also wrote personally to the chief executive to ask for his observations on what has rapidly become a crisis of confidence in the organisation he heads.

Mr Boase responded: “You will have seen that both myself and the Leader of the Council have issued apologies for the issues associated with the roll out of our new waste and recycling service.  We have also said we acknowledge that apologies are not going to get the bins emptied.

“This is a major change involving a new collection regime across the whole of the County i.e. some 43,000 properties.

“It is clear we have underestimated the resources required in the initial phase of the roll out.

“This has resulted in a larger number of missed collections than we had anticipated, meaning that the planned mitigation for ‘mopping up’ those missed collections is currently insufficient to cope with the demand.

“This is despite careful planning, consulting with other authorities using the same system and receiving advice from WRAP (a climate change NGO – Non Government Organisation).

“We have identified temporary additional resources that will allow us to catch up, relook at some of routes etc to ensure no more missed collections.

“This will not happen immediately, but the number of missed collections will significantly reduce over the next week or so.

“Our new waste/recycling service allows for an increased emphasis on recycling, where quality kerb side separated material can be sold, as opposed to paying for the comingled material to be taken for separation, after which the quality of the material is often inferior. This is a model employed by the majority of Council’s in Wales so it works, but we accept we could and should have done better with our roll out.

“As I’m sure you can appreciate, I am receiving lots of correspondence at the moment due to the numerous issues we have encountered in the roll out of our new waste and recycling system. It is therefore difficult to respond to detailed questions as we don’t currently have the time, as we are trying to address the issues.”

Isuzu's go-anywhere 4x4 with something for everyone

Isuzu D-Max drive by Steve Rogers

With the best will in the world a mud-squelching field is not the place for this glitzy pick-up.

Well, you wouldn’t want to get that nice paint job dirty. No, towing a speed boat, carting surf boards to the beach, or adventuring off road is more the thing for the new breed of pick up. Forget big SUVs, the young trendsetters have been seduced by these customised trucks.

Take the D-Max. Only a third of its sales go to the heavy duty utility market, the rest are blinged-up lifestyle models that will set you back up to 40 grand and more. Isuzu even has a specialised centre that will do pretty much anything to make your pick-up stand out from the crowd.

During the pick-up exodus in 2021, Mitsubishi and Nissan the two biggest names to leave the field, smaller manufacturers like Isuzu and KGM Ssangyong grabbed the bull by the horns and took advantage of the big hole in the market.

Isuzu really went to town with D-Max offering a keenly priced single cab workhorse, extended cab (five seater with two doors) and a four-door double cab. They have a one-tonne payload and apart from the base single cab can haul three-and-a-half tonnes with every gizmo needed for serious off-road driving. Load-bed lengths range from 2330mm for the single cab to 1495mm for the double.

Stats from Isuzu show how the pick-up market has been turned on its head. Back in 2012 the all-purpose utility dominated the market, now that is down to a third with adventure and business models the big sellers.

Why choose a rough-riding pick-up over a comfy SUV? It is all down to tax breaks for company car drivers. Go for a pick up and the Benefit in Kind rate is lower than a car, regardless of the CO2 emissions even though they are pretty high on pick-up engines.

Isuzu is convinced its best selling D-Max will be the top of the range automatic V-Cross and here’s why. You can’t help but be sucked in with the smart paint finishes, 18in black alloys, and it does not stop there. Get behind the wheel and be pleasantly surprised by the layout and quality. There are hard plastic finishes but plenty of leather as well.

Equipment level is reasonably high with keyless entry, leather heated seats, all round electric windows, powered driver’s seat, six-speed automatic gearbox, if you prefer that over the manual, air con, auto dipping Bi LED headlights, camera and all-round parking sensors the stand out goodies.

Safety has not been forgotten either with an extensive list including cross traffic alert, my favourite because it is so helpful when reversing from a parking space, particularly with a vehicle this length.

The driver’s binnacle has a mound of selectable information while the central 9in touchscreen deals with the radio and bluetooth. Navigation is not an option but there are smartphone connections for Google maps and the like. Heating, thank goodness, is selected by physical switches in the centre console so there is no scrolling through menus and dabbing the touchscreen just to get the fan going.

The double cab is a good five- seater with ample width for bulky adults along the back seat which drops down to provide a solid flat surface for in-cab storage.

Bearing in mind the nature of the beast economy is reasonable averaging 33mpg, better than the official figure, with a best of 35mpg on a 120-mile round trip.

If a pick-up is on the shopping list then remember to have an open mind. D-Max is a tough off roader even wearing swanky V-Cross clothes, so expect a roughish ride on anything other than silky smooth tarmac surfaces. Piling some weight into the load bay will calm things down a bit.

The engine has an agricultural rap and is pretty noisy until it reaches cruising speed after 50mph. D-Max is the least powerful against its main rivals which won’t bother a farmer or tradesman who want plenty of torque for hauling loads and towing, but acceleration is way off the more powerful engines in the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hi-Lux - something Isuzu should consider if it is to keep pace with the growing demand for classy pick-ups.

For now everything is moving in the right direction. D-Max has been picking up awards left right and centre, and between the entry sub 30 grand utility and up-market V-Cross is a go anywhere 4x4 with something for everyone.

Fast Facts

D-Max V-Cross

£44,323 (starts £29,923)

1.9 litre diesel; 161bhp

0-62mph 13secs; 112mph

30.7mpg combined

241g/km

Insurance group 50

Towing: 3500kg

Payload 1090kg

Church bells will ring to celebrate 2024 Eisteddfod

The bells at St Collen's will be ringing out at 11.30am this Wednesday, July 3 to celebrate the 2024 International Eisteddfod.

This will mark too the Interfaith Experience which is being held in the Pavilion at 12.30 pm that day.  

The bells will also welcome Dr Rowan Williams to Llangollen, former Archbishop of Canterbury and before that Archbishop of Wales.  

He is chair of Academi Heddwch Cymru (Wales' National Peace Institute) and will be giving the annual Peace Lecture in the Pavilion at 1pm, following the Interfaith Experience.

Seven candidates contest Clwyd East in general election

Seven candidates are standing in the new Clwyd East constituency – which includes Llangollen – in the general election this Thursday.

They are:

As the result of boundary changes, Llangollen now forms part of the Clwyd East constituency, which has of 76,395 electors compared to Clwyd South’s 77,062.

This new constituency also includes areas such as Ruthin immediately to the north of Llangollen, Llanarmon-lal/Llandegla to the north as well as parts of Flintshire such as Leeswood, Northop, Mostyn, Caerwys and Ffynongrow up towards the coast, Mold and Prestatyn.

Since the general election of December 2019, when it was still part of Clwyd South, Llangollen had been represented by Simon Baynes of the Welsh Conservatives. He is now contesting the neighbouring North Shropshire seat for his party on July 4. 

The Welsh Conservative contender in Clwyd East is Dr James Davies who had been MP for Vale of Clwyd.

Opposing him are Becky Gittins of Welsh Labour, Alec Dauncey of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Lee Lavery of the Green Party, Paul Penlington of Plaid Cymru, Rob Roberts, an Independent, and Kirsty Walmsley of Reform UK. 

As the usual polling station for Llangollen at the Pavilion will be in use by the Eisteddfod on election voting will now take place at Llangollen Town Hall and the count for Clwyd East will be held at Coleg Cambria in Connah’s Quay, Deeside.

In the poll on July 4 voters need to show photo ID at polling stations. Further details on this can be found at: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/your-council/voting-and-elections/voter-id.aspx

* The daughter of two well-known members of the clergy who was brought up in Llangollen is standing at the general election.

Joanna Stallard, whose mother, Mary Stallard, was one of the first women priests in Wales and is now Bishop of Llandaff, and father, Andrew Sully, was Vicar of St Collen's until 2018, is the Labour candidate for the Plaid Cymru-held seat of Dwyfor Meirionnydd.  

Kaiser Chiefs rule over buzzing Pavilion audience

 

* Kaiser Chiefs pictures by Desh Kapur CUFFE & TAYLOR.

* Fans at the Pavilion. CUFFE & TAYLOR.

* Spielman opens for the Kaiser Chiefs. Desh Kapur CUFFE & TAYLOR.

* Royel Otis on stage. Desh Kepur CUFFE & TAYLOR.

It was another sensational date at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod last evening as Indie heroes Kaiser Chiefs rocked the Pavilion stage.

 

The multi-award-winning band made a triumphant return to the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

And with almost two decades in the game and an extensive back-catalogue of stadium belters at their disposal, it was no surprise that the buzzing crowd was treated to a setlist filled with hits such as I Predict A Riot, Everyday I Love You Less and Less, Modern Way and Ruby.

 

Opening the night in style were Australian pop-rock duo Royel Otis and singer-songwriter Spielmann.

 

The headline shows are part of a new partnership between the Eisteddfod and Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor. 

 

The series continues next Tuesday (July 2) with Tom Jones opening the iconic Core Week of the Eisteddfod.

 

Specially-written song marks centenary of Women's Peace Petition

 

* The Madri'gals sing during the exhibition launch at Dory Gallery.

Local ladies’ choir Madri’gals performed a specially-written song as part of a weekend of celebrations in Llangollen to celebrate 100 years of the Welsh Women’s Peace petition.  

Welsh Women’s Dream, to the tune of iconic Welsh folk song Myfanwy with lyrics by Moira Gleed of Llangollen, delighted people who heard it when they came along to the launch this morning (Saturday) of an exhibition centred on the petition at the Dory Gallery in Regent Street, which will run until August 11.

In 1923, the horrors of WW1 having galvanised a generation against conflict, the women of Wales organised an unprecedented campaign for world peace.

A total of 390,296 women - a number from Llangollen - signed a memorial petition through the Welsh League of Nations Union, said to have been seven miles long, calling for America to join and lead the new League of Nations and 2023 marked the centenary of the campaign.

Throughout 2023/ 2024, this once-forgotten story has been brought back to life thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with communities across Wales and beyond celebrating the women’s achievement and starting new conversations about peace today.

* The peace petition banner on show at the gallery. Next Wednesday afternoon it will be proudly carried in the Eisteddfod's Parade of Nations through the town centre.

The weekend of celebrations in Llangollen began last night (Friday) when St Collen’s Community Hall hosted a one-woman show, entitled Annie Cwrt Mawr, inspired by the experiences of Annie Hughes-Griffiths, who travelled across America with the petition in 1924.

Tomorrow (Sunday) Llangollen Museum is hosting a heritage walk around town, visiting homes and workplaces of notable women who signed the petition back in 1923/24. 

People can go along to hear about their fascinating research and learn more about life of local women in the 1920s.

* To book your free space or learn more, visit Eventbrite at: Taith Gerdded Treftadaeth / Heritage Walk Tickets, Sun, Jun 30, 2024 at 11:00 AM | Eventbrite

The exhibition at the Dory Gallery centres around a new piece of work from local artist Bethan M Hughes named Thread of Peace, a 16m-long stitched piece inspired by the story of how the original petition pages would supposedly measure seven miles if placed end to end. The Dory Gallery is open every weekend.

* Thread of Peace, a 16m-long stitched piece inspired by the story of the original petition pages. 

Throughout 2024, Bethan has been running stitch sessions across North Wales, collecting contributions from over 150 people to this incredible piece of work. 

Thanks again to additional funding from Wales Arts international, a group of Women from America have also contributed to the project, participating in lively online sessions.

A spokesperson for the local organisers said: “We are so grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the opportunity to bring the work of so many communities together in this exhibition to celebrate this amazing story. We have such an exciting programme of events planned – everyone is welcome!”

* To learn more about the Women’s peace petition or get involved, visit: www.wcia.org.uk/academiheddwch/peacepetition/

Manics and Suede double-bill rocks the Pavilion

* Manic Street Preachers hit the stage. All pictures: CUFFE & TAYLOR

Manic Street Preachers and Suede kicked off their double-headlining UK and Ireland tour tonight with a hit-filled night in Llangollen.  

The indie music legends played to a capacity crowd at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod marking a triumphant third return for the Manic Street Preachers after they last headlined at the festival in 2017.

One of the most influential and iconic rock bands to have come out of Wales, The Manics shared the night with frontman James Dean Bradfield declaring: “It’s a privilege to be playing here. It’s the third time so thanks for having us back.”

Beginning their set with roaring crowd-pleaser Motorcycle Emptiness, the Welsh legends performed hit after hit including Everything Must Go, You Stole the Sun From My Heart, Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier and A Design For Life before ending the night with number 1 hit If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next.

Taking to the stage ahead of Manics was a fully energised set from Suede.  

Singer Brett Anderson was on form from the first note belting out hits including Trash, Animal Nitrate, Filmstar, and Metal Mickey. 

A rendition of first single The Drowners saw Anderson jump into the crowd. 

They ended the night with a rapturously-received Beautiful Ones and a farewell word from Anderson was: “Llangollen you have been beautiful.”

The all-star shows are part of a new partnership between the Eisteddfod and Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor. 

The series continues tonight (Saturday) with Kaiser Chiefs.

* Suede opened the night.